HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After facing the top ranked defense in the nation on Wednesday, the Big Red women's basketball team took on one of the most proficient offenses in the country in Marshall University, falling to the Thundering Herd, 73-47, this evening. With the loss, Cornell's record slips to 3-3, while Marshall remains undefeated at 5-0.
 
The Big Red saw several players get into foul trouble early on and not a single player reached double-figures, with both Kerri Moran and Megan LeDuc finishing with nine points apiece. Moran also finished with four steals, while LeDuc handed out four assists. Nia Marshall and Maddie Campbell both tallied a game-high six rebounds and each chipped in four points.
 
The Herd, which came into the contest averaging 82.8 points per game, had four players in double figures, led by Talequia Hamilton and Shayna Gore with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Hamilton didn't miss a shot from the field (6-6) as the Herd hit .509 percent overall for the game.
 
Cornell shot just .283 from the field and .208 percent from beyond the arc and had two more turnovers than Marshall (18-16). The Herd also held the 40-34 advantage on the backboards.
 
The game started with a bang for Cornell as Nia Marshall won the tip and LeDuc drove in for the easy lay-in, but for the second straight game Cornell had open shots rim out as the Herd took a 6-2 lead on a pair of treys from Norrisha Victrum. Moran ended a nearly four minute scoring drought with a 3-pointer at the 6:12 mark, opening up a 10-4 run that saw the visitors knot the game at 10 with a 3-pointer by Caroline Shelquist, before retaking the lead (12-10) on a layup from Christine Ehland with 2:21 to play in the first quarter. The teams traded points before the Herd scored the final five points of the opening period to take the 18-14 lead into the break.
 
Nicholle Aston opened the scoring in the second stanza with an offensive putback but another 5-0 run for the home team put Marshall up, 23-16. A trey from Samantha Clement, her first collegiate points, ended the run and moments later LeDuc made it 23-21 contest after stealing the ball and going the distance.
 
That was as good as it got, as the Herd responded with an 11-2 run to close the half with a 34-23 lead at intermission. Marshall extended its advantage to 18 points midway through the third quarter (43-25) and took a 53-32 lead into the final break. The home team went on to win, 73-47.
 
Cornell is back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 2 when it welcomes Towson to Newman Arena at 7 p.m.